Pneumatic knitting device



Nov. 16, 1948. M. vlTouX PNEUMATIC KNITTING DEVICE Filed Aug. 6, 1947Patented Nov. 16, 1948 Marcel Vitoux, Troyes, France, as'rsglnor tolAmerican Vitos Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a

corporation of Delaware Application August 6, 1947, Serial No. 766,697In France December 10, 1942 Section `1, Public Law 690,'August 8, 1946Patent expires December 10, 1962 This invention relates generally toknitting devices for repairing of runs or ravellings in knitted fabrics,particularly hosiery. The particular type of mending device to which`the present invention relates, comprises a cylindrical holder which isconnected to a source of power, such as compressed air to operate theneedle and piston to which it is attached, the holder being held betweenthe thumb and index nger by the operator during the reweavng operation.

One object of the invention is to increase the speed of operation ofsuch mending devices from the present 1800-2000 mesh per minute, to aspeed of 2500 to 3000 mesh per minute, even in very fine articles, suchas silk stockings.

Another object is to produce a device of this nature which will reduceto a minimum the fatigue of the hand of the operator, and at the sametime permit the article being knitted to be held less taut on itssupport, thereby not only reducing the chances of damaging the saidarticle, but in addition, and above all, obtaining a better repair job.

A further object of the invention is to produce a device of thischaracter of greatly reduced weight or mass, thereby eliminating to agreat extent the vibrations which in the present day devices cause thehands of the operator to become fatigued.

Another object of the invention is to produce a device of the characterdescribed in which the maximum simplicity of construction and operationis secured.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the nature of theimprovements is better understood, the invention consistingsubstantially in the novel arrangement and corelation of parts hereinfully described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereinsimilar reference characters are used to denote corresponding partsthroughout the several views, and then finally pointed out andspecifically defined and indicated in the appended claim.

The disclosure made the basis of exempliiying the present inventiveconcept suggests a practical embodiment thereof, but the invention isnot to be restricted to the exact details of this disclosure and thelatter, therefore, is to be understood from an illustrative, rather thana restrictive, standpoint.

In carrying out the objects of the present invention it was foundadvantageous to provide a substantially light walled cylindrical casinghaving a hollow interior in which is mounted near its upper end amovable piston maintained 1 claim. (c1. fie-1.5)

in upper position by a spring and provided With an opening for receivingthe upper shank end of a needle guided in a slotted bushing at thebottom of the casing. The top of the casing is provided with a fingerpiece having an inlet end forconnection with the tubing leading to thesource of power, such as compressed air for operating the device.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detaileddescription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, inWhich- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved device;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 2 2 of Figure 1;and

Figure 3 is a cross sectional View taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the numeral 5 indicates acylinder or casing which is provided with a lower central bore, an upperbore 'I concentric With the bore 6 and of somewhat larger diameter toform a shoulder 8 at the juncture of said bores. The top of the casing 5is `provided with an enlargement 9 having an inner threaded counterboreI0 for the reception of a plug II having disks I2 which serve as fingerpieces for holding the device. The said plug I I is provided with boreI3 and nipple I4 for the reception of a tube I5 leading to the source ofcompressed air not shown.

Located Within the bore 1 is a coiled compres sion spring I6 which restsupon the shoulder 8 formed by the bores E and l. The said springsupports at its upper end a piston Il which comprises a leather cup I8clamped between an upper disk I9 and a lower washer 20, the upper diskI9 having a centrally drilled hub 2I into which extends the upper end ofa knitting needle 22 and held in place in said hub by means of a setscrew 23. The washer 29 may be locked in place by any suitable means, asfor instance a pin 214 extending partlyinto the hub 2|. A shockabsorbing spring 25 is interposed between the bottom of the plug II andthe top of the disk I9. The needle 22 may be of the sliding catch typeor as shown of the type having a small blade 2E pivoted at the workingend thereof.

The piston and needle are moved downwardly by the action of thecompressed air against the leather cup I3 and disk I9 and returned bythe return spring I6, the needle passing through a two sectional bushing21 having a rectangular slot 28 which conforms to the cross section ofthe needle. Thus the needle which forms an extension or shank of thepiston, due to its passage through the rectangular slot or opening 28guides and holds the entire movable operating device in proper position.

It Will therefore be seen from the above that due to the extremelightness of the construction of the reweaving device a great amount ofthe usual vibrations of such devices is eliminated, With the consequentresult that there is a s ubstantial decrease in fatigue of the operatorshand and a corresponding increase in the speed of operation of thedevice, and a better finished job.

It is apparent that the specific embodiment shown above has been givenby Way of illustration and not by Way of limitation, and that thestructure above described is subject to wide variation and modificationWithout departing from the scope or intent of the invention, all ofwhich variations and modifications are to be included within the scopeof the present invention.

What is claimed is:

A knitting device comprising a cylinder having a longitudinal bore, apiston at the upper end of said bore slidably arranged therein, a springupon 25 Which said piston is supported, a bushing at the 4 lower end ofthe cylinder, having an opening formed therein, and a knitting needlecarried by the piston and passing through the opening in the bushing,the contour of said opening and 5 cross-section of the needlecorresponding one to the other and being such as to prevent rotarymovement of the needle, said piston including a leather cup and meansconnected With said leather cup for supporting an end of said knitl0ting needle directly below said leather cup.

y I MARCEL vIToUX.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 15 fileof this patent:

` UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,756,294 Leavin Apr. 29, 193020 2,048,903 Vitoux July 28, 1936 2,115,100 lGostkovvsk Apr. 26, 1938FOREIGN PATENTS Number kCountry Date '373,603 Italy July 31, 1939849,074 France Aug. 7, 1939

